Yuan Shu’s eyes widened slightly. “You’ve been poisoned?”
“I’m fine, Shushu. Come, take a look at these spirit medicines. They only need a little more nourishment from wood-element energy before they mature and can be harvested.”
Yao Qianci paid no attention to the worry in his own condition. Instead, he took Yuan Shu’s hand and began introducing her to the spirit plants before them.
“This one is a divine-grade medicinal plant. I discovered it in the Death Demon Forest this time, and it’s quite old. Once it matures and you take it, it will improve the aptitude of your spiritual root!”
“This one nourishes the soul. I noticed earlier that your soul seemed somewhat unstable. Once you take it, your soul will become much more stable!”
“And these—each one is a rare treasure of heaven and earth. They can be used to temper the body…”
Yao Qianci’s handsome, gentle face wore a smile, his sincere and passionate gaze fixed on Yuan Shu.
“Something happened over in the Death Demon Forest, so I went to help. I unexpectedly found these special treasures of heaven and earth. Every one of them is an exceedingly rare treasure!”
“Shushu, aren’t I amazing?”
Yuan Shu’s heart gave a sudden jolt.
She could sense that every word Yao Qianci had spoken came from the heart.
But there was something off about his expression. It was as though he had been affected by something, becoming a little… foolish?
As if she had noticed something, Yuan Shu’s gaze fell upon the spirit plants before Yao Qianci, each giving off a faint glow.
“These spirit plants contain Earth Demon Baleful Qi!” the Hehuan Divine Tree suddenly cried out in her sea of consciousness.
Yuan Shu’s expression changed slightly. She condensed spiritual energy at her fingertips and sent it toward the spirit plants. After probing them only a little, her heart sank.
There really was something wrong with these spirit plants!
Earth Demon Baleful Qi was a sinister, yin-aligned energy that clashed with the spiritual energy within cultivators’ bodies. Yet under certain circumstances, it could also serve as a catalyst to hasten the growth of heavenly treasures.
Clearly, the spirit plants before her had all been forced to maturity by Earth Demon Baleful Qi.
To cultivators, these spirit plants offered no benefit whatsoever. On the contrary, coming into contact with them could damage the body because their energies were incompatible.
It was like opium. It could make people feel exhilarated, causing them to remember only the pleasure while forgetting the hidden dangers.
That was exactly Yao Qianci’s current state.
The Earth Demon Baleful Qi was concealed within the spirit plants. As he nourished them with his spiritual energy, the baleful qi had quietly entered his body and affected his mind.
Thus, all he remembered was that these spirit plants could help Yuan Shu cultivate. He had no idea that his own body was being harmed by them!
“Shushu, wait for me. These spirit plants will be mature in just a little while!”
Yao Qianci explained this with a silly grin, then increased the flow of spiritual energy from his fingertips into the nourishing strands.
Yuan Shu frowned. With a wave of her hand, scarlet spiritual energy transformed into blades and sliced through all the nourishing strands at his fingertips.
Before Yao Qianci could react, she waved her hand again. Red Lotus Purifying Flame burst forth, directly engulfing and incinerating all the spirit plants before them.
It had happened too quickly. By the time Yao Qianci came to his senses, the spirit plants that had been brimming with vitality only moments ago were already shrouded in flames.
In the blink of an eye, they all turned to ash.
“Shushu, what are you doing? These… these spirit plants could improve your strength. How could you—”
“Yao Qianci, are you blaming me?”
Yao Qianci had not finished speaking before Yuan Shu interrupted him.
He froze and looked up at her.
Yuan Shu’s exquisitely beautiful face was slightly flushed, her full, rosy lips gently bitten. Her dark, limpid eyes gazed at him with a hint of grievance.
“Yao Qianci, I destroyed those spirit plants. Are you going to scold me?”
Yao Qianci’s heart clenched. Though his mind was no longer clear, his body’s instincts remained.
He hurriedly shook his head. “No. How could I? How could I ever scold you? Never!”
“Good.” The grievance vanished from Yuan Shu’s face, replaced by a bright smile as she looked at him.
“But…”
Yao Qianci was about to say more when Yuan Shu suddenly stepped forward, hooked her arms around his neck, and kissed him.
Yao Qianci’s eyes flew open. His entire body stiffened instantly, as though reacting on instinct.
He could only let Yuan Shu part his lips and kiss him, her tongue stirring against his with gentle insistence.
The familiar fragrance of pear blossoms spread between their lips and teeth.
Yao Qianci’s Adam’s apple bobbed. In an instant, all thoughts of questioning her vanished from his mind. There was only Yuan Shu’s breathtakingly beautiful face, so close to his own.
The crackling flames could be heard burning around them, but they could not drown out the rising sounds of water and soft moans.
Only after a while did Yuan Shu release Yao Qianci, who was breathing slightly harder.
“We’re leaving first.”
Yao Qianci’s mind was muddled at the moment. Explaining anything to him would only be a waste of time.
So Yuan Shu chose the simplest method to make him accept her decision.
Yao Qianci swallowed the lingering fragrance of pear blossoms between his lips and teeth. His eyes were hazy as he looked at Yuan Shu.
“All right.”
As soon as Yuan Shu finished speaking, she dared not delay any longer. She swept Yao Qianci into her arms and spread the protective barrier formed by the Red Lotus Purifying Flame over his entire body.
Then she pushed off with her feet and carried him toward the exit.
Spirit flames possessed a certain degree of resistance against other spirit flames of the same kind.
That was why Yuan Shu had dared to enter the burning pavilion alone.
What she had not expected was that the pavilion was surrounded by a carefully arranged trapping formation!
Yuan Shu’s eyes widened slightly. She raised her hand, and Zhuohua appeared in her grasp.
She lifted the whip and lashed it viciously at the formation. Waves of light rippled across the trapping formation, but it showed no sign of opening.
“Damn it!”
Yuan Shu cursed under her breath.
The Red Lotus Purifying Flame could defend against other spirit flames, but its protection was limited in duration.
If they continued to waste time like this, things would become truly serious!
Just as she was thinking this, a violent surge of energy suddenly came from outside.
“Shushu, someone outside is breaking the formation!”
The Hehuan Divine Tree’s voice rang out in her mind.
“They must have discovered the trapping formation. Shushu, hurry! If we attack from within while they attack from outside, we may be able to break it!” the Hehuan Divine Tree quickly reminded her.
Yuan Shu nodded. Gripping Zhuohua, she lashed it fiercely toward the point where the spiritual energy was fluctuating.
“Bang! Bang!”
The formation patterns of the trapping formation trembled even more violently.
Seeing this, Yuan Shu did not dare slacken for even an instant. She gritted her teeth and increased her strength once more.
Yao Qianci stared blankly at Yuan Shu as she swung the whip with all her might. He looked from the violently fluctuating formation patterns to Yuan Shu, then back again.
After a long while, he seemed to determine that Yuan Shu truly wanted to get out.
He suddenly raised his hand and sent a blast of spiritual energy toward the trembling barrier.
“Clang!”
A crisp sound, like a silver vase shattering, rang out.
The barrier of the trapping formation that Yuan Shu had struggled to break open was effortlessly torn apart by Yao Qianci.
Yuan Shu turned to glance at him, only to meet the somewhat foolish smile on his handsome face.
Yuan Shu was speechless.
She had forgotten that although something was wrong with his mind, his strength remained intact.
A single strike from a Soul Formation cultivator was obviously more than this tiny trapping formation could withstand.
Still, Yuan Shu could not help worrying.
Could this Earth Demon Baleful Qi really turn him into an idiot?
…
“Boom!”
Yuan Shu carried Yao Qianci through the sea of flames and burst out of the pavilion, instantly attracting everyone’s attention.
“They’re out! They’re out! Guest Elder Yuan and Peak Master Yao are out!”
Cries of surprise immediately rang out around the pavilion.
The two soon landed in an open area nearby.
But when everyone saw the scene before them clearly, their expressions turned strange.
Their usually gentle and dignified Peak Master was now hugging Yuan Shu tightly around the waist like an innocent, ignorant child.
He was staring at Yuan Shu without blinking, his heart and eyes filled with nothing but her.
